Energy Food and Drink

Recent Food/Drink Reviews

Hotshot Sports Shot

Relieves muscle cramps fast! I had returned from several days of backpacking in the Trinity Alps. The last day was long and hot, and I'd probably not drunk as much water as I should have. But the beer was cold, and it was sooo nice to sleep in a real bed. And at 3 a.m., the cramping started. It began in my right calf, and as I tried stretching/rubbing it out without waking up my wife (sorry, honey!), the left calf started to kick in too. As they both got tighter and more painful, I remembered the… Full review

Clif Nut Butter Filled Bar

This is a nice addition to the Clif Bar lineup of energy bars. The Peanut Butter flavored Nut Butter filled Clif Bar has an appealing softer consistency than the classic Clif Bars, which combined with a great taste, make these bars a nice option as a trail bar to throw in your pack for a day hike or a through hike. Years ago I used to be a big fan of classic Clif Bars, but as other manufactures brought a seeming endless number of options to the market, I started shifting to other trail bars that… Full review

Larabar Cashew Cookie

A straightforward, no-nonsense trail snack that has become a personal favorite. Taste: With only two ingredients (cashews and dates), the taste is as one might expect (surprise, it tastes like cashews and dates!). I’ve never been a huge fan of raw dates, but these are much more enjoyable than raw dates, even though there is a distinct date flavor. As for cashews, I could eat them all day, everyday, so this bar was particularly intriguing for me. From what I’ve seen, most other trail bars/snacks… Full review

Patagonia Provisions Apricot + Almond Bar

A non-GMO, organic energy bar that tastes great and has a backpacker-acceptable caloric density of 100 calories per ounce. The small size lends it to stashing in small pockets (but not so much for satiety). These are expensive, just as most organic, non-GMO products are. Here are the ingredients as listed on the package: Organic Dried Apricot, Organic Dried Pear, Organic Dried Apple, Organic Almond, Organic Apple Juice Concentrate, Organic Baobab Fruit Powder, Organic Black Chia Seeds Here is the… Full review

Tailwind Rebuild

Tailwind Rebuild drink powder is easy to mix, tastes good, is digestible and provided an ideal balance of carbohydrate, protein and electrolytes to replenish the body immediately after exercise. I’m a big fan of recovery snacks and Tailwind Nutrition has developed an easy solution for replenishing needed nutrients efficiently with the new Rebuild drink powder. The recovery period is often overlooked for long-distance backpackers but the concept has been around sports nutrition for a long time. Full review

Kate's Tiki Bar

These bars taste good and have a good, crunchy texture. One of my favorite discoveries this year was Kate’s brand. I have burned out on so many energy bars that I’m filled with dread every time I have to stock up. Kate’s saved the day with a bar that has actual crunch and delicious flavor. I quickly tire of the soft textures of so many backpacking foods but Kate’s bars use organic brown rice crisps (think Rice Krispies) to provide a satisfying crunch. All of her products use gluten-free,… Full review

Médique Medi-Lyte

Medi-Lyte is a low cost electrolyte supplement in tablet form that allows you to easily manage your electrolyte replacement with your activity level. This summer I took a different approach in how I went about replacing my electrolytes. Instead of using any one of the many powdered forms that are offered by many of the sport drink manufactures, I decided I would try using an electrolyte supplement from Medique called Medi-Lyte. I purchased Medi-Lyte off of Amazon and it cost $7.65 for a box of 50… Full review

Skratch Labs Anytime Energy Bar

These new bars from Skratch are a nice change from the overly sugary bars we usually encounter. Most endurance athletes are familiar with Skratch Labs. Their energy and electrolyte drink mixes are the stuff of legend. The founder of the company, Alan Lim, was a nutritionist for several professional cycling teams (BMC, Radio Shack, Garmin), and developed his "secret drink mix" after fielding complaints from cyclists about the electrolyte drinks that they were forced to drink. Along with Chef Biju… Full review

Larabar Apple Pie

Larabar makes an outstanding trail bar that comes in a variety of flavors that all taste great, and have a very high calorie per ounce. Sometimes it seems like I live under a rock, but the other day my daughter shared a trail bar with me that I had never really heard of before from a brand called Larabar.  I thought the trail bar tasted outstanding as it had a consistency like a dense Fig Newton (another food I really enjoy), which I also really liked. Now that I have had a Larabar I notice them… Full review